Well, I'm going to do something that I've been told over and over not to do ... make an example out of someone... Gibby I share your frustration with installer standards, but the reason it happens is the same reason that you see it happening in this thread. Recap: Poster-1 says that they see a problem with a certain execution in situation A. Expert gives the technical advice he has regularly given and that he has made popular here re: the what-to-dos vs. the what-not-to-dos re: exec of situation-A. At which time, poster-2 says that they are having the exact same problem with the exact same execution in situation-A also and what could be going on? (Er ...). More discourse about why idiot-installers persist with the behaviour that causes problem with situations-A. Poster-2 pops back up saying that they will repeat the behaviour that caused their and other's problem execution in situation-A. Well, if the person(s) most impacted by a poor execution or common executor problem - viz. the homeowner - won't learn, what would motivate the executor to learn???? THEY don't have to live with the problem and if the HO (poster-2) can't be bothered, why should they trouble themselves to be so? Bill, you were remarkably patient in that last response. When I read the previous post, *my* verbal response had a whole load of *F*s in it - from sheer incredulity.

ammysrq: Soonish did mean this spring but we're not ready, probably next spring. We live in what most people would consider the boonies although we do live on a road with multiple houses on it, none of which has been on the market recently. Not a development kind of thing. annie1971: Good point, got any suggestions :) Thank you both for taking the time to read my post and then responding.

KKNY I don't know what to make of you. Of course we don't make the skids 'spy' for us. They brought the subject of smoking up themselves, we usually don't ask about those things (BM's drinking, the smoking - while pregnant of course, and other negative trades). That is because we'd feel bad knowing that the girls would probably feel like defending their mom. So therefore we wait till they volunteer the information and then we might ask what they think about it, or how they feel. The therapist has given us really good advice on how to be supportive of them, and how to adress these kinds of issues without criticizing their mom. However we do ask the girls general questions to show an interest in their other family, which is important for them. Like about their little brother or what they were up to on the weekend? Is that allowed?? Ima already explained it very well. It's about the power of brainwashing,I guess you're not that familiar with it. Like Ima's SD saying it is raining when the sun is clearly shining (that was your post Ima, right?) Also what is the significant difference for you between Stepmom or SO? I'm FDH's SO and stepmom to the skids. They actually started calling me that without my encouragement, they think it's 'cool' and so that's fine with me. You always think that it's the SM's vs the BM's here, and I don't understand why? Surely you're not that shallow to assume all Stepmoms are on the same page and all BM's are on the other? Just because I'm Dutch doesn't mean that I'm on the same page as all other Dutch people, right?

To start I need to see all four walls of the space and why is the furniture not facing the FP. IMO if there is a TV in the space I would remove all the shelving form the left side get a nice low cabinet and mount the TV above the cabinet so the TV and the FP can share the focal point.